Here's Your Body, Learn to Read It
by Diary
Summary: There are tons of rules when it comes to consent, and it doesn't much matter if it involves sex or weird scientific experiments Dave doesn't understand. Complete. Edited for excess.


Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

* * *

Sometimes, Dave wonders if Thad views Trent as less of his best friend and more of a non-protesting guinea pig.

Thad, he quickly learned from hanging out with the Warblers in study hall, is a science geek. He babbles about chemicals, the appalling ethics of these scientists he read about on Yahoo! news, and is always trying to experiment on people, causing Sebastian to make barbed comments about mad scientists and ask where exactly Thad was when there was a legitimate fear of Saddam Hussein using chemical warfare.

Trent is usually the one who ends up the test subject.

Unfortunately, Trent isn't here this weekend, having some family birthday party he failed in dragging Thad to.

Dave isn't sure how he managed to get roped into being the guinea pig. He woke, went down to the cafeteria, and Thad had given him a piece of toast, talking a mile a minute about something. And then, after finishing his plate and cup of coffee, he found himself sitting in the study hall, Thad's fingers around his wrist, a stopwatch in his other hand.

All of which means one thing: Sebastian Smythe _sucks_.

Sebastian doesn't owe him anything because of what happened at Scandals. Dave doesn't expect them to be best friends. He certainly doesn't think Sebastian has any responsibility to fight Dave's battles for him.

At the same time, he doesn't think it's really too much to ask for Sebastian to be at Dalton on a Saturday morning instead of wherever he is. If he were here, Thad's plan wouldn't have happened. Sebastian would have reminded Thad there are rules, one of them being not taking advantage of sleepy, hungry people who don't fully wake up until an hour after they've eaten. There are tons of rules when it comes to consent, and it doesn't much matter if it involves sex or weird scientific experiments Dave doesn't understand.

He supposes he should be grateful there are no chemicals, nudity, or cameras involved.

The absurdity of the thought strikes him, and he sighs, causing Thad to glare at him. McKinley was a horrible place, a place where he found himself turning into a horrible person. Thurston was okay until Nick decided to attempt to ruin his life. Now, he's at a school where a mad scientist targets everyone but Sebastian, and it's considered okay as long as there's no physical pain (on everyone but Thad) or permanent emotional damage.

Sometimes, Dave wonders what his life is and why he couldn't have started to realise his gayness when he was older and away from Lima, Ohio and Kurt Hummel.

"How old are you," Thad repeats, despite the fact Dave already answered.

"Eighteen," he repeats, and Thad waits a minute before marking something in his notebook. Dave would look at it if he didn't already know Thad writes in some foreign language.

"Favourite candy?"

"Butterscotch," he answers.

This goes on for a while, Thad asking a question, waiting a minute or two after Dave answers, and then, scribbling in his notebook. The door opens while Thad's doing so, and Dave glances over to see Sebastian stroll in, out of his uniform and with damp hair, and then, he gives Thad a startled look, wondering why he just felt the vein on his wrist jump and press against Thad's fingertip. Thad, looking curious, glances over, and then, shrugs as if to say it's not a big deal.

"What seemingly mundane experiments are you performing this time, Thad," Sebastian inquires, sitting down on the arm of the chair, causing Dave to shift uncomfortably. Sebastian must have taken a very hot shower because Dave can feel the body heat radiating from him. "Do I need to confiscate your phone and check it for German contacts?"

"I know what you're insinuating, and I don't appreciate it," Thad snaps. "Just because the Nazis performed barbaric experiments on some people doesn't mean all scientific researchers of German citizenship are-"

"As fascinating and amusing as your righteous indignation is, I have lacrosse practise in ten minutes, and Country Bumpkin here promised he'd audit us. Wrap it up."

Thad mutters something too low for Dave to hear but undoubtedly angry. "Planning to try out for the team?"

"No," he answers. "I'm writing a report on how different sports have different team dynamics." Watching it and discovering the patterns in his head is actually somewhat cool, but when it comes to writing, it's absolutely boring, and he struggles with the words, always having been more at-ease with numbers and working with his hands. On the positive side, Sebastian seems genuinely interested in the report, saving him from having to apply for a tutor or, worse, call Kurt and sound like an idiot as he asks questions Kurt considers incredibly easy.

"Do you know why he calls you 'Country Bumpkin'?"

"Wrap it up, Thad," Sebastian orders, and Dave feels his vein jump, again, his body tighten, not in fear but in something unidentifiable.

"I dunno; I guess because I sort of like country music," Dave suggests, shrugging. "Or because I've been in Ohio all my life, my parents aren't rich, and I like fixing household appliances."

"I'm sitting right here," Sebastian interjects, somewhat peevishly.

Absently, Dave reaches over with his free hand, patting Sebastian on the knee.

"One last question," Thad says, obviously deciding he's had enough of both of them ruining his experiment. "What's the best thing about Dalton, so far?"

The question is very personal, though he does understand Thad, probably not knowing his whole screwed-up story, doesn't realise this, and he feels his stomach lurch at the thought of even trying to answer it. Thad had told him to answer all the questions seriously, but he finds himself joking, "I guess, Sebastian? I was always sort of the trouble-maker at my other schools, but here, people look at him when someone does something wrong."

"Keep telling yourself no one's looking, buddy," Sebastian says, pleasantly enough, reaching over to poke the back of his neck, and Dave tries to swat his hand away while Thad continues writing, watching Dave's wrist. "I'll prove you wrong one of these days."

"If you want my advice, take that as both a threat and a promise," Thad says, letting go of Dave's wrist. "That's all. Thank you, Karofsky."

Dave considers telling Sebastian to go on and he'll catch up, wanting to ask Thad about the reason he felt his vein earlier, but before he can, he finds Sebastian, surprisingly strong for someone thinner than he is, dragging him. "Why didn't Trent intervene?"

"His family birthday party," Dave reminds him.

"Huh," Sebastian says. "I forgot about that. Next time he's gone and I'm not here, avoid the cafeteria. Go to my room and raid my energy bar stash."

"Thanks," he says. "It wasn't that bad, though. Mostly, I have no idea why or what he was doing."

Sebastian laughs, shooting him a look, and Dave resists the strange urge to press his own finger against the prominent vein on his wrist.


End file.
